CHENNAI: Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa, on Thursday announced that as many as 12,624 special buses will be operating during the Pongal holidays - from January 9 to January 14 - for the benefit of those who wish to reach their native place to celebrate the festival. While 4,682 special buses will be operating from Chennai, 7,942 buses will be operating from other important hubs.
“After the Pongal festival is over, an equal number of special buses will be in operation from January 15 to January 19 to enable people to return home,” the CM said in a statement released, adding that stern action will be taken against those who collect exorbitant fare from passengers.
“I have directed officials to ensure that omni buses collect only fixed rates from passengers. The public can lodge complaints about exorbitant fares charged by private bus operators with the office of the Tamil Nadu Express Transport Corporation at Koyambedu bus terminus by calling the telephone number 2479 4709,” the Chief Minister added.
Special buses will be operating from Koyambedu to all district headquarters. While 482 special buses will be operating on January 9, 504 buses will be put into service the next day. Similarly, on January 11, as many as 365 special buses will be in service while 539 special buses will be operating on January 12. As many as 1,345 buses will be pressed into service on January 13. The day before the Pongal festival (January 14), 1,447 special buses will be in service.
For the past four years, during festivals like Pongal and Deepavali, there has been an overwhelming response to the special buses operated by the State Transport Corporation. Reservation of tickets can be done online through the ticket reservation system for bus journeys that are more than 300 km during the Pongal holidays. Additionally, 25 reservation counters will be open at Koyambedu terminus for passengers to book their tickets in advance.
The Chief Minister also said 600 special buses will be operating in Chennai during the festival holidays and on Kaanum Pongal day (January 17), the MTC will operate 200 more special buses from Chennai to tourist spots like Marina Beach and Vandalur zoo.
3 unavagams Get ISO Award
Vellore: Three of the 10 Amma Unavagam (Amma Canteen) in the Vellore Municipal Corporation were awarded the ISO 9001:2008 certification by Quest Certification (P) Ltd (QCPL) on Thursday for meeting the standards set by ISO in the preparation and supply of food. One canteen is near the Vellore MLA office, the next at Collectorate, and the last one is at Tharapadavedu.